10th International Festival Greater Hermitage Music

2 July 2010, the press-conference, devoted to the opening of the 10th International Festival Greater Hermitage Music was held.

The press-conference was participated by: Deputy Director of the State Hermitage Vladimir Matveyev, Artistic Director of the Festival Sergey Evtushenko, participant of the Festival, pianist and composer Andrey Kondakov, Director of French Institute in St Petersburg Edward de Lumley.

The 10th International Festival Greater Hermitage Music is organized by the State Hermitage and the Hermitage Music Academy with the assistance of the Committee for Culture of St Petersburg City Government. The Festival had its origin in the concert in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace in June 2001, in which a monumental composition Seven Gates of Jerusalem by the classicist of the modern music, an outstanding Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki was performed.

Ever since every year the festival gathers the best musicians from all over the world and it is a significant cultural event and not only thanks to the unique venues for concerts - courtyards and halls of the hermitage but also thanks to diversity of genres and trends of musical art, presented in it. From 2001 to 2009 participants of the festival concerts in different years were: Krzysztof Penderecki, Valery Gergiev, Katia Ricciarelli, Lyubov Kazarnovskaya, Yury Shevchuk, Dina Korzun, Sergey Bezrukov, Sergey Makovetsky. For 5 years already the supervisor of jazz programs of the festival has been Andrey Kondakov, the pianist and composer. During this time such world class stars as Tim Garland, Bill Bruford, David Sanchez, Igor Butman and many other outstanding musicians and groups gave their performances.

The jubilee 10th International Festival Greater Hermitage Music will take place from 3 to 14 July, 2010 in the halls of the Hermitage and outdoors and it will cover all the festival genres, which have already become traditional – early music, classics, jazz and World music. The distinctive feature of the 10th Festival is that it starts a series of cultural events, devoted tovthe 250-anniversary of the Hermitage which will be celebrated in 2014, as well as it marks holding of the Year of France in Russia with a unique concert which will take place on the day of the French Republic national holiday, Bastille Day, 14 July in the Great Courtyard of the winter Palace. The Festival opens with an exquisite concert-dedication to the great Italian painter of The Renaissance Michelangelo Caravaggio (to 400 years from his death), whose masterpiece the Lute Player is resided in the Hermitage. In the Big Italian Skylight Trio from Italy Laus Consentus (two lutenists and soprano) will present the music of the painter's epoch. Each part of the concert corresponds to a particular picture of the master. The concert is held under support of Italian Institute of Culture in St Petersburg (3 July, 19:00).

Classic guitar quartet Meridion from Sweden will play classical Spanish music with excursus to German baroque and modern age in the Big Italian Skylight where the collection of Spanish painters is represented. (8 July, 19:00)

The Courtyard of the New Hermitage, small and cozy, with great natural acoustics will host the traditional Jazz-Fusion Concert with participation of Andrey Kondakov and one of the brightest stars of the world jazz, five Grammy Awards holder, a brilliant trumpet player Rendy Brecker (the USA). (11 July, 20:00)

The Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace this time will become the venue for holding of a national French holiday - Bastille Day. Performances of the theater Licedei, different dancing groups, work of painters, fashion show, entertainments and contests will set the stage for the performance of the most unusual French group Lo’Jo, combining in their creative work French chanson, African, Arab, Italian music, funky, jazz and dub with elements of street theater and circus performance. With all the mixture the French origin is definitely heard in their music. (14 July, 18:15).

The project is implemented within the Year of Russia-France 2010 under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation jointly with French Institute in St Petersburg.

Official partners of the 10th International Festival
Philips Company
Onego shipping Company

Under support Raiffeisen Bank and Sokos Hotel

Partners of the Festival
Royal Company
Pladis Company

General informational partners
Ren TV Petersburg
Radio Hermitage

At the press-conference

Vladimir Matveyev, Deputy Director of the State Hermitage

Sergey Evtushenko, Artistic Director of the Festival

Edward de Lumley, Director of French Institute in St Petersburg

Pianist and composer Andrey Kondakov, participant of the Festival